Turning experimentation into execution: Inside SRS’s digital playbook

By The Coffee Shops. 

SRS Distribution is driving the future of roofing technology with an AI-powered framework that transforms innovation into action for contractors. 

Editor’s note: This article was written by ChatGPT based on Karol Weymans’ notes from summit presentations. 

At the recent SRS Distribution x InstaLILY AI Innovation Summit, Patrick Garcia, chief digital officer at SRS, shared that the company’s goal is to create technology that not only meets customers’ current needs but also prepares them for where their businesses are headed in the future. Through focused investments, the company has dramatically expanded its system capabilities between 2018 and 2025. 

A framework for action  

Patrick explained that SRS followed a call-to-action framework — Understand, Experiment, Invest, Operationalize, Institutionalize, Optimize, Rationalize — to guide its approach. This framework allowed the organization to educate and experiment while building a comprehensive strategy and ensuring investments were directed toward the right technological capabilities. 

Transforming the industry 

Recognizing that nearly 70% of contractors were not using technology, SRS built a dedicated vertical to bring innovation directly to them. The company focused on innovating both the front and back ends of its business, and in 2023, SRS made the leap into AI. By identifying use cases and moving quickly from insight to action, the company achieved its fastest transition from experiment to live deployment. 

Innovation in action 

This led to the launch of CoSailor, an app that started with just 10 users and has since expanded to 800 sales representatives. Internally, the rapid adoption and excitement surrounding CoSailor earned it a reputation reminiscent of “Fight Club” — a grassroots movement that quickly scaled across the organization.